When I think of cherry tomatoes the word “cheery” comes to mind. I don’t know if it is because they are small, bright little tomatoes, or just the right size to pop in your mouth for a tasty snack, or sweet-flavored almost year round. Since the summer tomatoes are long gone from my garden and kitchen, I’m happy that a few cherry tomatoes have ripened indoors and are ready to eat. Yay!
My friend Paola has a great recipe for fresh tomato sauce that is included in the new tomato cookbook (coming out in spring 2021) and her recipe is very similar to this one. In fact, Ina Garten and Martha Stewart also have summer garden pasta recipes that are similar. (Just so you know, I tried Martha Stewart’s version a long time ago and didn’t like it at all. She cooked her pasta together with the tomatoes and other ingredients and it turned out a gummy mess for me. I’m an advocate of cooking pasta separately and then adding it to the sauce or other ingredients in the pasta dish.)
Paola’s recipe for fresh tomato sauce includes olives which I did not use here. Her recipe is almost a puttanesca which typically includes olives, capers, garlic, and tomatoes. She was born in Rome and raised in many countries across the globe so I’m not sure if her recipe is from Roman origins or revised to accommodate the country she was living in at the time. My recipe is created so I could use the cherry tomatoes ripening on my counter and bring a bit of cheer into this fall day.
Cherry tomatoes and a few grape tomatoes tossed into the mix.
Garlic, basil, oregano, pepper flakes, and olive oil added. Now to sit and marinate for a few hours. This is the hardest part of the recipe. Waiting for the tomatoes to marinate. Tick tock, tick tock…
A few minutes before you want to serve these tomatoes, cook up a batch of pasta (I like angel hair with this recipe). Drain and top the pasta with your fresh cheery cherry tomato mixture and a little parmesan and it’s ready to eat.
Other uses: Add these cheery cherry tomatoes to a salad or top of a soup, both tasty options! Also a delicious bruschetta on top of toast. And if you don’t get these delicious tomatoes all used up with these ideas, you can always throw everything in a blender for a tomato juice that will knock your socks off.
Cheery Cherry Tomatoes & Pasta
Ingredients
- SAUCE:
- 3 cups cherry tomatoes, halved (I added a few grape tomatoes too)
- 3 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- PASTA:
- 1/2 pound angel hair pasta
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated
Instructions
- Mix tomatoes together in a bowl with the garlic, basil, oregano, pepper flakes, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
- Cover tomato mixture with plastic wrap and set aside for 3-4 hours on the counter. (Do not refrigerate.)
- Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water for about 2-3 minutes (al dente). Drain the pasta, saving a cup of the pasta water.
- Add pasta to tomatoes and toss. Add a tablespoon or more of pasta water if you want more liquid in the sauce.
- Sprinkle pasta and tomatoes with cheese. Serve immediately.